The Mariners took plenty of heat when they shipped Harry Ford to the Nationals for Jose A. Ferrer, but nearly a season later, Seattle has reason to feel pretty good about how that gamble has aged.
Ford went to Washington as Seattle’s No. 4 prospect at the end of 2025, with a cup of coffee already on his resume after eight plate appearances in the majors. The return looked light at the time, especially with Ferrer coming off a 4.48 ERA. But Ferrer has since become one of Dan Wilson’s most trusted arms, appearing more often than every Seattle pitcher except Eduard Bazardo and putting up a 3.56 ERA.
Ford, meanwhile, hasn’t given the Nationals much to celebrate.
Washington targeted him as part of an offseason effort to strengthen a young core built around James Wood and C.J. Abrams, and catcher was an obvious place to attack.
Riley Adams and Keibert Ruiz had been one of the weakest catching groups in the game, with Nationals catchers combining for a 65 wRC+ - 30th in MLB - and -7 DRS, which ranked 23rd. Ford looked like a clean fix for a glaring problem.
That hasn’t played out.
Most of Ford’s season has been spent at Triple-A, where the bat never really got going. In 257 plate appearances, he posted a 96 wRC+ and a .335 slugging percentage. Even when he eventually reached the big league roster in the second half, it was only because Drew Millas landed on the injured list with a finger fracture.
Since then, the results haven’t changed much. In 22 major league games, Ford has kept walking and striking out at rates above average, but the contact quality just hasn’t been there. He has hit two home runs and lifted his slugging percentage to .371, yet he still hasn’t shown enough to suggest he can consistently handle competitive at-bats at this level.
The defense has been the one steady part. Ford has graded out well behind the plate, and that has helped him reach 0.4 fWAR despite an 88 wRC+ with Washington.
He’s only 23, so there’s still time for the picture to change. But for now, the Mariners’ original read looks awfully sharp.
Seattle clearly believed Ford wouldn’t be ready fast enough to matter during its current window, and Cal Raleigh’s recent signs of life only reinforce that logic. If Raleigh gets back to form, Ford likely would have been stuck as a backup in Seattle during his prime years.
That leaves Ferrer as the more useful piece right now, even with one of Seattle’s two left-handed relievers scuffling in the second half. The deal was unpopular when it happened, but the Mariners appear to have been right about the timing. Ford may still turn into something more down the line, but unless that turnaround comes soon and comes hard, Seattle can keep feeling good about moving him.
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